Referee Wayne Barnes (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Many lawyers have side hustles, but some of them are a lot cooler than others.
Meet Wayne Barnes, a partner in the London office of Squire Patton Boggs. In his spare time, Barnes works as an international rugby union referee, and he’ll soon be “laying down the law” at the Rugby World Cup final. The Sun has additional details:
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Barnes, 44, has been handed the honour of taking charge of his first World Cup final.
He refereed at the 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 tournaments, aged just 28 at the the first.
Barnes has already officiated five matches at France 2023 – including the thrilling New Zealand quarter-final victory over Ireland – as well as being an assistant in two more.
When Barnes found out that he’d been chosen to take on this role, he excitedly tweeted: “It is the greatest honour of my career to be given the responsibility of refereeing a Rugby World Cup final 2023.”
Congratulations to Wayne Barnes, and best of luck on the pitch!
LAY DOWN LAW I work every Wednesday as a lawyer but now I’m refereeing the Rugby World Cup final [The Sun]
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.